The insect responsible for the deaths is the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), which has a 6 millimeter stinger that injects its victim with venom containing a neurotoxin that is "powerful enough to dissolve human tissue," according to The Australian.

The hornet season typically lasts from May to November, but warmer weather that has led to more successful breeding could be to blame for an unexpected number of attacks this year, according to LiveScience.

Local mayors have dispatched firefighters to systematically destroy the hornet nests.

These images from a local news report posted to LiveLeak show how venom from the sting appears to make a hole in the human flesh.